Back Issues: ‘Daredevil’ characters join ‘Iron Fist’ ensemble

Typhoid Mary and maybe Blindspot in season two

Evan Bevins

Reporter

ebevins@newsandsentinel.com

Iron Fist is back on Netflix and his supporting cast is expanding, including a few characters borrowed from fellow streaming star Daredevil’s comics.

The sophomore season starring the martial arts master with the magic punch was released last week. While continuing to feature Danny Rand, the boy billionaire who returned from the mystic city of K’un-Lun to reclaim his family legacy, the show will also include his love interest Colleen Wing and detective Misty Knight (who really need to headline their own Netflix show as the Daughters of the Dragon, their comic book team-up title).

Returning and playing a larger role this year will be Danny’s friend Davos, known in comic circles as his arch-rival, the Steel Serpent. That title was used as an Easter egg in season one of “Daredevil,” as the name of the designer drug distributed by Madame Gao.

In the comics and on the show, Davos seemed most likely to inherit the mantle of the Iron Fist, as he was the son of Lei-Kung the Thunderer, who trained the warriors. In the comics, it was Danny’s uncle who denied Davos what he felt was his birthright and Davos’ attempt to secure the power himself (by plunging his hands into the molten heart of the dragon Shao-Lao) resulted in his exile to Earth.

As the Steel Serpent, Davos sought revenge on Danny Rand, even gaining the power of the Iron Fist briefly. Nevertheless, Danny always came out on top.

Another thorn in Danny’s side this season is Typhoid Mary, a former love interest and ongoing nemesis of Daredevil in the comics.

A sword-wielding assassin with the ability to start fires with her mind (pyrokinesis), Typhoid Mary is a dark personality of the quiet Mary Walker. She’s had a relationship with Matt Murdock while battling his alter ego, Daredevil, often in the employ of the Kingpin.

Typhoid Mary has clashed with a variety of other heroes, and once was a love interest of Deadpool, but I’m not sure she ever ran across Iron Fist in the comics.

Another announced character for season two is Sam Chung, the alter ego of Daredevil’s recent sidekick, Blindspot.

A young genius who invented an invisibility suit but decided against filing for a patent due to his status as an illegal immigrant, Sam sought out training from Daredevil to become a vigilante. He was gravely injured early in his costumed career, and Sam and his family became entangled with the dark ninja clan known as the Hand (Iron Fist’s primary Netflix foe) in an effort to heal him.

Even before they were linked on Netflix, Daredevil and Iron Fist started to cross paths more frequently in the comics in recent years. In fact, when Matt Murdock’s identity was revealed to the public and he went to jail, Matt’s law partner, Foggy nelson, actually hired Danny Rand to put on the costume and act as Daredevil.

While he may not actually don the costume, the idea of Danny stepping into Daredevil’s role was certainly teased in “The Defenders.”